The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-12-12
THE UBIQUITOUS JEW.
His Wonderful Power of Adaptation to All
Climates.

Jewish World.
It has been frequently remarked that the jew
ish race has wonderful adaptation to all eli
mates Jews are found in all parts of the
globe and seem to possess remarkable facility
for acclimatization. even under the most I'M
fayorab BILE circumstances Mesopotamia is con-
sidered the mother country OF the Abrahamlc
family as well as the cradle of the human race
Some years ago small colony of Jews were
found in the ancient city of Seminar, in the south
of Mesopotamia. and in the vicinity of ancient
Babylon Of the seventy families composing
the colony, claimed to be decended from
King Joachim, the rest from the house of Levi.
A colony of Jews appear to have settled in
China about the beginning of the third century of
the Christian era, under the dynasty of Ham. In
1904, Father GonZani Roman Catholic mis-
sonary, found seven Jewish families
Pekin. In 1856 Portuguese Jew of Amsterdam
named De Pavia discovered sect of jews In
Cochin China According to a tradition pre-
served among them they descended from
tribe of Jews who had quilted Palestine
the destruction of the second temple. From
their long residence in Cochin they had become
completely bronzed. These not the same as
the Malabar Jews. The Jewish traveller, Ben
covered a colony of Jews, evidently of Persian
origin, in Hindostan. They were known as
Babylonian Jews, on account of their having
migrated to Babylonia. They observed the
essential rites of Judaism, and strictly avoided
intermarriage with other sects.
In the beginning of the seventeenth century a
Jewish colony settled in Cayenne. in the West
Indies, of the most inhospitable climates in
South America Cayenne subsequently
conquered by the Freuch, who made it q penal
settlement, and the Jewish colony forced to
retire to Surinam Notwithstanding frequent
prosecutions, Jews are still found in Persia.
more especially to the south of the Caspian sea,
where the soil is fertile but the climate very
healthy. The principal city is Belprosh, where
about one-hundred and fifty Jewish families
reside in almost complete isolation. They trade
with their brethren in Great Tartary. and are
engaged in the wool and silk trade or in the sale
of citrons- They, too, trace their origin from
the Babylonian captivity, for, according to
tradition still possessed among them. their an
cestors settler in Persia in the time of Nebuch-
adnezzar and did not respond to the appeal OF
Ezra to return to Palestine. Their mode of
life resembles that of the Persians IN general
They hold the board in high esteem, and wear
long flowing robes. They have several syna-
gogues and obtain scrolls of the law from Bag
dad The celebrated African traveller, MungO
Park, found colony of Jewish families in the
heart of Africa, about eight hundred miles from
the coast. 1t is doubt this popularity of the
Medical Geography to express the opinion
that 1T is questionable whether the crossing of
human varieties confers on the issue constant
advantages in relation to the species; for the
Jewish seems in a wonderful manner
pable of adapting itself to every change of eli
mate, while others scarcely able to bear the
least change"
The jew is found in every part of the world;
in Europe, from Norway to Gibraltar: in Africa.
from Algiers to the Cape of Good Hope; in Asia,
from Cochin to the Caucasus; from Jaffa to
Pekin. He has peopled Australia and has given
proofs of his powers of acclimatization under
the tropics where people of European origin
have constantly failed to perpetuate themselves.